Credits: Article and images by Ian Skellern @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/11/18/jaeger-lecoultre-reverso-hybris-mechanica-calibre-185-quadriptyque-11-complications-plus-flying-tourbillon-are-impressive-but-the-fact-that-its-so-wearable-is-the-real-magic-reprise/
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Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque: complications and features
Face 1: perpetual calendar
The first face displays hours, minutes, seconds (with the flying tourbillon), and and instantaneous perpetual calendar. In a nice touch, the clous de Paris guilloche of the cut-away dial is also engraved on the visible main plate and bridges.
The perpetual calendar features linear day and date functions in windows (with wheels partially visible); patented big date at 5 o’clock (this required the development of a patented concentric big date mechanism to fit beside the flying tourbillon); day/night indicator in a small square at 11 o’clock; and leap year indicator (1-4) at 1 o’clock.
Repeater face of the JLC Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque
The wearer can also activate the minute repeater slide on the side of case without flipping the face.
With a flying tourbillon, perpetual calendar and minute repeater, this face alone would be an extremely complicated watch by itself. But there’s more. Much more.
Face 2: minute repeater
Face 2 features jumping hours and minutes on a disk indicated by an orbiting red arrowhead. These time indications are powered from the minute repeater mechanism.
Minute repeater face of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque
The minute repeater has entirely gap-free chimes and an extremely silent regulator.
A minute repeater generally chimes the hours (1-12), the quarter hours (1, 2, or 3 for 15, 30, and 45 minutes) and then the minutes (up to 14 minutes) after the quarters. So at 11:59 (the time with maximum chimes) it will chime 11 hours, 3 quarters, and 14 minutes (14 after 3 quarters/45 minutes).
However, when there are fewer than 14 minutes after the quarters, there is usually a dead-air gap (the length of the gap depends on how few minutes have to chime) after the quarters. So if the time is 11:46 (one minute after the 3 quarters/45 minutes chime), we hear 11 hours, 3 quarters, a pause representing the missing 13 minutes, and then the one-minute chime.
Jaeger Le-Coultre has steadily reduced the length of this gap on previous minute repeaters, but Calibre 185 is the brand’s first watch that eliminates this gap completely.
Repeater face of the JLC Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185
The cut-away dial reveals the minute repeater spring, regulator, and rack mechanisms in operation.
The two articulated trebuchet hammers and shaped crystal gongs are visible at the bottom of the dial. The gongs, which have a square cross-sectional profile that maximizes contact and energy transmission between the hammers and gongs, are attached directly to the sapphire crystal to optimize sound transmission. I can confirm that the repeater sound is excellent.
And the repeater mechanism features safety functionality that minimizes the risk of damage if activated when the calendar is changing or the crown is pulled out.
Case band crown and short minute repeater slide of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185
And not to forget the minute repeater slide. Because it is on the same side of the case as the crown (the Reverso hinge is on the other side), there isn’t enough travel distance to fully charge the chiming mechanism spring.
So JLC had to develop a short travel slide using high-ratio gearing to make up for the shorter distance traveled.
So far we have an innovate two-faced Reverso with perpetual calendar and minute repeater. But there’s still more.
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Credits: Article and images by Ian Skellern @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/11/18/jaeger-lecoultre-reverso-hybris-mechanica-calibre-185-quadriptyque-11-complications-plus-flying-tourbillon-are-impressive-but-the-fact-that-its-so-wearable-is-the-real-magic-reprise/
